Summary
- The Moguri Mod 9.0 update completely reworks Final Fantasy 9's backgrounds and battle graphics, adding new features like higher frame rates and widescreen support.
- The Memoria mod launcher now includes new options like custom fonts and built-in antialiasing, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- Experimental shader features in the Moguri Mod offer options to change character models, opening up possibilities for further modding opportunities.
The popular Final Fantasy 9 PC mod, Moguri Mod, has released a brand-new update four years after its initial launch. Final Fantasy 9 remains one of the series' most beloved titles, first released on the PS1 console. The game has received ports to several different platforms, including a PC version in 2016. One of the most lauded aspects of FF9 is its environmental art and graphics, which are some of the best looking on the PS1. However, most fans believe that the PC port didn't upscale the backgrounds and other aspects well enough when it was brought onto the Steam platform.
However, one of the most popular PC mods for Final Fantasy 9 is the Moguri Mod, which aims to rework and improve the game's graphical resolution without compromising on its original aesthetic. The mod was initially released in 2020, improving the backgrounds, fixing a number of bugs and glitches, and other visual changes that were made using both AI and manual drawing. While it seemed that the mod was finished, outside a few hotfixes, the developers of the Moguri Mod released a brand-new version.
The new version of the Moguri Mod was posted to its official website, this version being known as Moguri 9.0, compared to the 8.3.0 update back in 2020. This overhaul of the mod has completely re-rendered Final Fantasy 9's timeless backgrounds, using both a mix of Stable Diffusion and a mixture of the original upscales. On top of that, the battle backgrounds have been reworked, along with improvements in lighting, texture upscaling, and pre-rendered FMVs. Many of the original mod's visual bugs have also been fixed.
The most substantial update to Final Fantasy 9's Moguri Mod is the amount of features that have also been added to the Memoria mod launcher. These include a higher framerate able to hit 120 FPS, 16:10 and ultrawidescreen support, custom fonts, and built-in antialiasing. The improvements made also end up opening the floodgates for more modding opportunities, such as new textures, sound effects, playable characters, and even voices.
The Moguri Mod also introduces some experimental shader features that come in three flavors: original, toon + outline, and realism, which drastically changes how the character models look. The Moguri Mod also allows players to replace Final Fantasy 9's Tetra Master minigame with Final Fantasy 8's Triple Triad. While there have been rumors of a Final Fantasy 9 remake for quite some time now, it hasn't been officially revealed by Square Enix at this time. For now, the Moguri Mod might be the closest thing to a remake of the original game.
Final Fantasy 9 Moguri Mod Version 9.0 Changes
Update to Moguri itself (by Snouz)
- Upscale re-rendered of all backgrounds, aided by Stable Diffusion, mixed with the original result
- Full rework of battle backgrounds (re-render, re-stitching, re-mood)
- Redrawing of many layer edges
- Improvements to most lights
- Animated textures upscaled on Monsters/NPC
- Rework of some FMVs
- Many visual bugfixes (battles, backgrounds...)
Features from Memoria
- High framerate (60fps or more, recently overhauled)
- Mod manager/downloader, new launcher
- Many new options in Memoria.ini and directly in the launcher
- Non-gridded camera and camera stabilizer
- Custom fonts
- PSX battle UI, dynamic mode
- Antialiasing, texture filtering
- New audio engine
- Triple Triad/Tetra Triad/lower randomness card modes
- New cheats
- 16:10 widescreen support, much more backgrounds supported
- UI improvements (instant open/load, more items/abilities on screen)
- More controller support (DS4, DS5, Switch)
- Much cleaner layer edges with 3D objects
- Many new modding possibilities (textures, SFX, Statuses, playable characters, voices...)
- Turbo dialog/combat with R1
- Model viewer
- Experimental model shaders
- Disc change images
Memoria Bug fixes
- Infamous occasional crash at the end of the game
- Turn-based fixes
- Many fixes to widescreen
- Restored some hidden layers (never seen before)
- Fixed many backgrounds, cropped layers, animations, lights
- Battle texture problems
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 81%
- Released
- July 7, 2000
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
WHERE TO PLAY
Zidane and the Tantalus Theater Troupe have kidnapped Princess Garnet, the heir of Alexandria. To their surprise, however, the princess herself yearned to escape the castle. Through a series of unusual circumstances, she and her personal guard, Steiner, fall in with Zidane and set out on an incredible journey.
Meeting unforgettable characters like Vivi and Quina along the way, they learn about themselves, the secrets of the Crystal, and a malevolent force that threatens to destroy their world.
Learn new abilities by equipping items. When fully mastered, these abilities can be used even without equipping items, allowing for nearly endless customization options.
Fill your Trance gauge as you sustain hits in battle. When fully charged, your characters will enter Trance mode, granting them powerful new skills!
Never let items go to waste. Combine two items or pieces of equipment together and make better, stronger items!
